Emberwood Isn't this such a beautiful night?

The sun was setting over the hills when for the first time a young Dragonling began to emerge from the Emberwood den. She could see the world in it's entirety for the first time, and what a sight it was.

In a few days time her ears would begin to perk up as her hearing grew clear, but for now there was little to rely on outside of her sight and sense of smell. She glanced back to the inside of the den where her mother and sister slept, the expected nerves settling in with a short whine to accompany it.

The woods were quiet besides a slight breeze, sending a chill down Victoria's spine. Was her father near, or had she put herself out on her own? It was an important question as her natural sense of caution faded, fuzzy white paws taking steps forward to follow her curious nose into a bush.

He felt a little more like himself lately, though the growing girls constantly tested Cambria’s resolve. He loved them so intensely and feared for them in equal measure. They were healthy, as far as he could tell, thanks mostly to Odessia’s doting; she was a natural. But they would remain vulnerable for a while yet, which meant everything outside the den presented a threat.

As far as Cambria knew, he and his mate could simply contain them in the den in Emberwood until they were bigger. Sophia and Victoria would get the opposite of his upbringing: coddled, loved and safe. He saw no problem with this approach, blissfully ignorant to the pups’ autonomy and instincts.

Reality slapped him upside the head when he returned to the den after a brief patrol of the area to discover Victoria outside, totally exposed to the wilderness. Cambria gasped, dropped the bone he’d scavenged and raced toward the wayward puppy. Without thinking, he snatched her scruff and lifted her, carrying her haphazardly toward the den’s mouth.

If you mind the power-play, just let me know and I’ll edit!

No problem for me! PP away!

Victoria was quite happy to see her father, until he tried to take her back towards the den. The betrayal! The horror! She was quick to begin wiggling her legs, determined to continue her exploration. Inside the den it had been decided that it was time for sleep, but outside there was so much to be awake for!

Her father's rather reasonable worries were not something Victoria could process as such for the time being, so to her he was simply being cruel. Opening her muzzle to cry bloody mary, she would very well wake up the entire Teekon Wilds before her bugs and grass were taken away!

His ears flattened when Victoria shrieked and began kicking her legs. Cambria hated that he was the cause of such heartwrenching cries. He almost let go of her just to get them to cease, then remembered himself just as his jaw began to loosen. If he dropped her out here, she would be vulnerable to attack. She might even run, considering the fuss she was making.

That thought sent cold dread flooding through his veins. He maintained his grip on Vicky’s scruff and stepped into the den, likely disturbing its other residents. He set the would-be runaway on the dusty floor beside her sister, exchanging a quick glance with Odessia before backpedaling a step and blockading the door with his body.

He had no idea what to expect from Vicky now, or Sophia for that matter. Cambria braced himself, even as the tension in the pit of his stomach eased. She might not like it, but at least Victoria was safe now in the confines of the den.

Her cries would cease, though her pouting would not. Cambria was not swayed by her cries, and she didn't have much else to fight him with.

Well, maybe. Her restless pacing ceased next to a cobweb, picking up the pet spider who had holed up there in her mouth. War called for desperate measures.. which meant releasing the sad, wet bug at her fathers paws with an audible 'blegh'. Attitude didn't come to her naturally, clearly @Sophia had taught her a thing or two about anti-man tactics.

It occurred to him, as he watched Vicky pace and pout, that he was the exact opposite of his own mother. When he remembered all the cold, lonely nights of his early life and all the struggles he faced every day without proper nurturing, it only reinforced Cambria’s resolution. He was going to give them a far better start than their grandmother had given him, firstly by keeping them safe and seeing to their every need.

What’s that? he mumbled, pulled out of his thoughts when Victoria regurgitated on his foot. Bending down, he sniffed and wrinkled his nose. A spooder, huh? I bet that didn’t taste very good. He brushed it toward the nearest corner of the den, then wondered down to her, You hungry, Vicky? What about you, Soph? I had a pretty big dinner.

He didn’t wait for an answer before performing the brief series of physiological triggers that brought half-digested meat into his mouth. Cambria bent down again to deposit it onto the den floor. He admired the heap of steaming chow before motioning his daughters toward it. In the same movement, he backed halfway through the doorway before dropping to the ground, effectively corking the den.

Cambria wasn't scared away by the spider at all, leaving Victoria disappointed until moments later he provided her dinner. Safe to say that she immediately forgot to be upset.

First taking a moment to eye Sophia as she stirred, Victoria began to scarf down as much as she could handle, as though this were her first meal in weeks. Suddenly her perpetual pudge made a lot of sense.

We can fade here if you'd like!

At some point, long after the girls had eaten their fill and conked out on top of each other, Cambria remembered the bone he’d dropped outside. His eyes found Odessia’s in the dim and he mouthed an apology his drowsy mate likely wouldn’t understand. He would explain in the morning. For now, he let out a very dadlike sigh, crossed his forelegs and let his head drop down on top of them. He would sleep too—with one eye open, of course.